.
What I am is what I am
Are you what you are – or what?
– Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
.
If I am
any
thing,
it is the spit
shine of Lake
-tossed glass, tum
-bled to shore, shattered
at the sliver of its own shine;
the first penny
in a hungry cup,
the philosophy on
a small dog’s collar
(maybe her name is Lucky,
or Faith.)
Perhaps I am the quiet
curve
that falls between
the corners
of your smile,
the last spill of moon
sinking into your worn heart.
Or
this poem,
slightly hollow,
carefully un
-centered,
shaken and shirred,
measured in spoons
and swallowed twice.
.
Whimsygizmo's Blog 
I think you’re ALL that and much, much more that words cannot express. I love the dog’s collar and the “quiet curve.”
Thanks so much, Anne Katherine. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate your faithful readership?
Beautifully done. Congrats on the feature nod too!!
Thanks so much. This poem has a similar theme, but the one featured actually was called “I Know This Much Is True.” They linked to my blog in general (which goes to the most recent poem), instead of the poem for day 20. 😉
You and the poem are one, stil, I love the interaction between you two, the playfulness…
Thank you!
I enjoyed reading. I especially love that “quiet curve.”
You have got to be kidding me with this. We are SO on the same wavelength. Last evening, my Internet was out. But I had Edie on the brain, so I was making myself notes in Notepad to post later. Seriously, “What I Am” was the song I was going to post. But it never started working, so I abandoned the project.
Really cool, girl. Your poem is fantastic, by the way. The dog-collar philo. is one of my favorite lyrics. And I love this, for some reason: “the first penny in a hungry cup.” You’ve gotta start somewhere, I guess. And really, holding out an empty cup takes a lot of guts, so to be the first one to put something in … the person who not only gives, but gives herself, now that will form a deep connection between you and the person to whom you’re giving.
The “curve” hanging on its own line makes me think you’re saying your body is curvy rather than skinny, and you’re at a place where you can embrace that. Besides, a penny has to have curve or it doesn’t exist; what will it offer then?
I am insane over the last two stanzas, slightly more so over the very last.
I had her on the brain all day, because of the prompt “What are you? What are you not?”
I loooooove the song. Originally I went with cereal box philosophy, but then decided I wanted to name the dog. 😉